NBA: LINcredible

NEW YORK (AFP) – New acquisition Jeremy Lin scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 101-94 NBA pre-season win over the Detroit Pistons at Barclays Center on Thursday.

The point guard connected on seven of 11 shots, including five-of-eight from three-point range in 17 minutes on the floor.

He said the work he’s been doing on his jump shot is paying off.

“It felt great,’’ Lin said. “I got in a zone and honestly if I wasn’t so caught up in trying to hit some more, I think my last two would have dropped.’’

Lin, the NBA’s first player of Chinese or Taiwanese heritage, agreed to a three-year deal with the Nets worth a reported $36 million in July, after turning down a $2.2 million offer to return to Charlotte for next season.

The move brings Lin back to the Big Apple, where he was a seldom-used reserve with the New York Knicks in 2012 when injuries to several starters gave him a chance to play. He sparked the Knicks to seven straight wins as “Linsanity’’ gripped Knicks fans.

He spent the next two seasons with Houston and one with the Los Angeles Lakers before joining Charlotte.